The Boston Celtics entered the 2025-26 season without Jayson Tatum as he continued to recover from a torn Achilles and were expected to be a fringe playoff team. Thanks to Jaylen Brown’s emergence as an MVP candidate, Boston far exceeded those initial expectations.

With Jayson Tatum’s return looming and the team overperforming late in the season, the idea that Boston could compete for a second championship in three years returned as well.

It didn't turn out that way when the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Celtics in seven games in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. And that unexpected loss, after taking a 3-1 lead in the series, left fans and media alike to look back on the season simply asking, ‘What if?’  

Among those posing hypotheticals in the wake of the Celtics’ loss is former Boston forward Evan Turner, who spent two seasons with the team from 2014 to 2016. Turner appeared on Sirius XM’s NBA Radio and said, “If it were the other way around, I think Jayson would’ve been first in the East, and I think they would’ve made it out [of] that game 7.”

Of course, Turner has presented a completely hypothetical situation, but it does pose an interesting question. 

Brown didn’t perform poorly in the Game 7 loss, almost single-handedly keeping Boston within striking distance in the second half. And it didn't help the Celtics that Tatum couldn't play in Game 7 due to left knee stiffness.

But what if the season had been flipped, and Tatum were the player who led the Celtics day in and day out? Turner could be right that it would have been the Celtics, and not the Detroit Pistons, finishing with the No. 1 seed and the momentum.

Still, the way the roster is constructed, it might not have been enough. Even with both stars healthy, and even if they played in every game, the Celtics still would not have had an answer for Joel Embiid.

Available to play in only the final four games of the series, his presence turned things around. The lack of a true defensive big man ultimately was the Celtics' undoing against Embiid, who averaged 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, the latest collective bargaining agreement makes it nearly impossible to build a prolonged dynasty before luxury tax penalties become completely untenable for even the deepest-pocketed owners. That meant team president Brad Stevens had to move off of the contracts of big man Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in offseason deals.

Ultimately, the Celtics' loss came down to not having enough scoring to keep up with Philadelphia. Key role players like Derrick White struggled throughout the season, and that would have been the case regardless of whether it were Tatum or Brown leading the way for the majority of the season.

We won't ever know the answer to Turner's hypothesis, but it's an interesting place to start the discussion.

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